Fatal Hearts
by augureyclaw
Summary: Light Yagami had never anticipated falling in love with his victim's daughter. No more than he had anticipated L taking a liking to her too. Light/OC eventual Light/OC/L.
1. Guilty Pleasures

**Chapter One ||| ****Guilty Pleasures**

* * *

Light could still remember vividly the day he had met her. It had been the day his life had changed irrevocably, it had been the day he had gone from being a ruthless god with nothing to lose, to an equally ruthless god with something very important to lose. Sometimes he looked back on that day and wondered for the briefest of moments what it would have been like if he had never met her. She was his one weakness, his Achilles heel, without her he would have been invulnerable. He would have been unstoppable, as unstoppable as a hurricane storming it's way through a city. But he had met her, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't bring himself to regret it, _for even gods have their guilty pleasures_.

Light could still remember how she had looked that day. Every detail of her appearance was forever engraved in his mind, from the soft brown curls that sat about her shoulders to the bright blue eyes that had been so filled with fear and doubt. She had quivered as she had entered the classroom, her narrow shoulders shaking and her small dainty hands tightly grasping the books that she held so firmly in her grasp. Light could remember noting how insignificant she had seemed at the time - how easy she would have been to overlook. There was nothing extra-ordinary about her appearance, she was pretty but not mouth-droppingly so, she was the kind of girl who blended so easily into the background.

She looked nervous, even for a girl on her first day at a new school. Everything about her, from her posture to the way she was biting her top lip suggested that she was uncomfortable. She looked almost like she was about to walk through fires of hell with a gun to her head. The teacher finally stood up from his desk to introduce her. He put his arm around her almost sleazily and with his sharp voice spoke a name that Light could never have anticipated. "Everyone this is Emilia Penber. I hope everyone makes her feel welcome and helps her to enjoy her time here." The teacher smiled as he spoke.

_Penber_. Light had heard that surname many times before. It was the surname that had belonged to the FBI agent that had been shadowing him, it had been the surname of the man he had murdered in cold blood. It was an uncommon name, especially in Japan, and Light found it unlikely that this girl would have that name and not be related in some way. She was young enough to be his daughter but not quite old enough to be a sister. Her eyes reminded him of Naomi Misora's yet the rest of her face seemed to belong to Raye Penber. In that moment Light deduced, quite accurately, that she was in fact their daughter.

Worry had flooded through Light in that moment. Both Raye Penber and Naomi Misora had connections to him, the girl could have been investigating her parents deaths - and if she was that could have led her to him. He would have wrote her name in the deathnote, but killing her would have been too suspicious. Killing her would just provide more evidence against him and he couldn't afford any unecessary suspicion. He shook the thought out of his head. He had covered his tracks - she didn't know anything. She _couldn't. _"Penber? wasn't that the name of that FBI agent you killed?" Ryuk stated the obvious as he had grown so good at doing.

Light wanted to mock him for being so slow, but talking to an invisible entity in the middle of a class would have been another way to garner unnecessary suspicion. He looked up from his desk and saw the Penber girl making her way to the only free seat in the class - which just so perfectly - happened to be right next to his. She flattened out her skirt before she sat down, and delicately perched herself upon the edge of the seat. She had seemed so timid even then - a delicate little thing too innocent for this world.

"Oh she's pretty isn't she Light? Her cheeks are as red as apples." Ryuk commented. Now that Light looked at her again, she was quite pretty. A pair of wings on her back and a halo circling her head wouldn't have looked out of place. He sighed, feeling oddly interested in the girl beside him. "Shame you killed her parents, pretty sure that about ruins your chances with her." Perhaps Ryuk wasn't so slow after all - if he too had deduced that she was their daughter. Light made note not to underestimate the Shinigami again.

"My name is Light by the way. Light Yagami." Light spoke to the girl quietly. He figured it would be best to get close to her - to keep an eye on her and work out what her motivations were. The girl turned around shyly and smiled at him meekly. There was a sadness in her eyes - it seemed to Light that she was still grieving.

"I'm Emilia Penber but most people just call me Ellie." Her voice was still shaky, but she seemed more relaxed now. Her voice, unsurprisingly, was as gentle as her apperance. Light imagined that if used to sing a melody it would put even an insomniac into a deep and peaceful sleep. "It's nice to meet you."

The rest of class were busy working - but Light was more interested in finding out more about this Ellie girl. The teacher didn't seem to notice that they were talking. "Penber is an American surname isn't it? Do you come from there originally or does your family just have origins back in the states?" Light asked her calmly.

"I grew up there. My dad is - _was _\- American and when I was very little me and my mama moved over there to be with him. I liked America but I always loved when we came on holidays to Japan." She explained, the nib of her pen tapping against her still empty jotter. "Well I say holidays - but they were more like work trips. My dad was an FBI agent so he was always travelling around and he brought us with him."

His theory was confirmed. _She was_ Raye Penber's daughter. Now the only mystery that remained was how much she knew about his death and the man who had done it. Light decided to ask her another question - a more risky one that could upset her if not asked in the right way. "You use past tense when referring to your parents. Are they no longer around?" Light asked softly. Ellie tensed up and her pen fell to the desk with a small thud. She looked up at him with grief-filled eyes. "I'm sorry I asked -"

"No it's fine. I need to get used to telling people." She spoke quietly. She picked up her pen again and begun fiddling with it. She seemed at war with herself trying desperately to keep the tears in her eyes. "My dad was one of the twelve FBI agents that Kira killed and my mother was so broken-hearted afterward that she killed herself. I stay with my grandparents in Tokyo now. That's why I go to school here now."

"Oh...I'm terribly sorry for your loss. I'm that I asked. It must be very hard for you to talk about it." Light carried of the look of a concerned peer well. He noted that she didn't seem to know much more than what the media had published - but then again if she did suspect him she wouldn't have told him. But she didn't seem the type of girl that was astute at solving mysteries. She seemed too naive and gentle to have any real intuition. But he decided it would be best to get close to her anyway - that way he could keep a careful eye on her and make sure her knowledge of her parents deaths remained minimal.

"Mr Yagami. It is not like you to speak during class. I'd appreciate it if you remain quiet and stop distracting Miss Penber." The teacher scolded. It was one of the first rows Light had gotten in class - he found it oddly humourous being the subject of negative attention in class for once.

"Hey why don't we continue this discussion over a coffee. There is a little place close to here that I go to all the time. Seen as your new I should fill you in on all the details about this place." Light whispered across at Ellie, who nodded with a slight blush to her cheeks. Light heard Ryuk chuckle from behind him.

"You are real classy Light - asking the girl whose parents you remorselessly murdered on a date." Ryuk's laugh echoed through the room, but only Light could hear it. "I mean poor Raye Penber. First you trick him into killing his own colleagues by holding his family to ransom and also inexplicably condemn him to a purgatory of sorts. Then you manipulate his grieving fiancee into killing herself, and now you take his poor sweet and naive daughter to a coffee shop to seduce her - the big final spit in the face."

_It's not a date Ryuk_. Light scrawled on his jotter then quickly scored it out when he was convinced Ryuk had seen it. The Shinigami let out a booming laugh. "Oh let me guess you're suspicious that she knows more than she's letting on. You can't kill her because it will make it even more obvious that you're Kira, so now you're going to get close to her to make sure she doesn't know anything about her parent's deaths. I should get an apple for working that out Light."

If Light hadn't asked Ellie to go for a coffee with him his life would have panned out rather differently. Ellie would have gone about her life as normal and Light would have continued his work without doubting for one

second if he was doing the right thing. But he had asked her for a coffee - so considering anything otherwise was a waste of time. The class had quickly ended and Light and Ellie had headed off in the direction of the coffee shop. It was a little further than he had expected, but Ellie didn't seem to notice. She looked as if she was enjoying the feel of the fresh air brushing against her face.

"You looked so nervous this morning when you came to class." Light commented as they walked. The sun beat against his face, highlighting one side, but creating dark shadows around the other. Ellie mused for a few moments before she thought of a response. She fixed her fringe absently with her spindly fingers and opened her supple lips to speak. Light found himself studying the shape of her lips, how the bottom was fatter than the top and how soft and red they looked. He shook himself out of his thoughts, he shouldn't think about her like that. _Like she was attractive to him_.

"I've always been nervous around new people. I've never really been to a school before. My mama always taught me at home because we were always moving around so much." Ellie explained. "I was scared no one was going to talk to me. But now I know I had no reason to be because I met you and you have been awfully kind to me." Light felt his stomach dip, an odd sense of guilt stirring within him. He was making this girl happy now, but he couldn't fight the feeling that he had made her feel miserable in the long run. "We must be close. I'm starting to smell the coffee."

The coffee shop finally fell into view. It was a small little place that attracted many young students due to the free wi-fi sticker planted across it's window. Even from a few feet away the sickly smell of coffee invaded Light's nostrils. Without further ado, the pair made their way inside, the air conditioning wafting against them as they opened the door. Light insisted on paying for Ellie's drink - much to her dismay. Kira and his victim's daughter took their seats by the window, nursing their cappucino and strawberry milkshake respectively.

"You know I've always thought you can tell a lot about someone by what they choose to drink at a coffee shop." Ellie spoke idly, sipping at her strawberry milshake. Light stared up at her curiously as if beckoning for her to expand on what she had just said. "Well you ordered a cappucino. You specified to the barista that you wanted hardly any milk in it. This would make it taste more bitter. This suggests that you are very harsh and overly critical of not only others around you but also of yourself. It also suggests that you see things as black and white, things are either right or they are wrong. There is no inbetween in your eyes."

"You got all that from the fact I like my coffee bitter?" Light laughed into himself, sipping again at his coffee. The bitterness slipped down his throat and a smile played on his lips. "Let me do you then. You ordered a strawberry milkshake which is strange considering we came for coffee. This suggests to me that you lack a refined palatte, you still cling to the drinks you enjoyed as child. This shows me that you don't like change and also that you retain the youthful naivety of a child."

"Well I was going to say it suggested I was unwilling to conform to the norm, but I guess your analysis was pretty accurate as well." Ellie smiled. "Truth be told the only reason I get a strawberry milkshake now is for old times sake. My dad always brought one home for me after work. They've always reminded me of him in a strange sort of way." Light's heart sunk again, guilt niggling at him once more. She seemed to notice how uncomfortable he seemed. "Sorry I keep bringing up my dead parents. I must be dreadful company."

"Don't speak nonsense. I haven't had a good intelligent conversation for a long while. You know you should give me your number and we should do this again." Light smiled. Ellie's cheeks had flushed scarlet once more. Light could hear Ryuk laughing from behind him, probably due to the fact that he had been right in the end. This had turned out to be a date of sorts. Ellie typed her number into Light's phone. "I'll text you and you can save my number. I'll probably see you again at school on Monday anyway."

With that they said their goodbyes. Light left feeling rather confused. He had genuinely enjoyed his time with Ellie, she was a breath of fresh air, a contrast to his black heart. She made him feel free, like he wasn't mass-murdering vigilante. He let out a low sigh as he and walked home. The Shinigami had been oddly silent on the way home, as if he was thinking about something. Light hadn't though anything of it and his mind had settled on the image of Ellie's face - and her sweet, innocent, and unknowing smile.

* * *

_Author's Note_

_I hope that you liked it. This is my first death note fanfiction so the characters may be a little OOC - I'm sorry. I realise nothing really happened in this chapter but the rest should get better. Death note is the first anime I really got into - do any of you have any know of any other similar anime? I'm only just new to the whole anime thing I've watched a few episodes of clannad here and there but apart from that I'm practically an anime virgin lol. Sorry for blabbering on! Please leave a little review if you gotten this far. It'd make me so happy! Negative or positive! :D_


	2. Consuming Lies

**Chapter Two ||| Consuming Lies**

* * *

The television was buzzing with news that over one thousand detectives had been called in to investigate the Kira case. A sense of relief had flooded through Ellie in that moment, she was glad that the authorities weren't giving up on finding Kira and that there was still some chance for her father's murderer to be brought to justice. Closure was what she needed - for there to be some sort of end to this horrific chapter in her life.

Ellie took comfort in the fact that L was heading up the investigation. Her mother had always spoke very highly of the detective having worked with him in the past and before she died she had told Ellie that if anyone could solve the case - it would have been him. Ellie wished she could help him in some way - but she knew she couldn't. She wasn't as smart as her mother had been nor as handy with a gun as her father. She would have been of no benefit to the investigation, in fact she would have been more of a hindrance than she would have been a help.

She stared absently around at her makeshift bedroom with a heavy heart. The walls were painted a pale pink and the carpet, although worn, was still very visibly purple. Her grandparents had tried to make it as nice as possible for her - they had even covered the walls in family pictures to remind Ellie of the parents she would never see again. It was a little cramped, but there was enough space for a little desk and a chair. Her single bed was cramped against the wall and sometimes Ellie would find herself just lying there, staring up at the ceiling dreaming of better days back in America when her parents had been alive.

She had loved California and it's long never-ending beaches. She had many friends back home and the feeling of loneliness was something she had never experienced before. Now that her parents were gone and she was cut off from her friends it was a feeling she was all too used to. The only solace she had found in Japan was Light Yagami. She had only known him for a few weeks but already she felt a friendship blossoming. He was kind, highly intelligent and handsome as well. He was perfect. He was a_lmost too perfect. _Her mother had always told her that when things were too good to be true they usually were. She wondered if this was the case with Light.

She shook the feelings aside - she was in no position to question the one friend she had made. She thought of his face and his perfectly chiselled cheekbones. All the girls swooned over him and Ellie didn't blame them. Sometimes she would go red in the face whenever he smiled at her and whenever they accidentally brushed against on one another her heart would skip a beat. He had that effect on her - though Ellie had no desire for anything other than friendship. From her limited experience she had found that unrequited crushes ruined friendships faster than a bulldozer through feathers.

Ellie forced herself to stop thinking of Light Yagami, instead she cast her eyes over the cardboard box on her desk. It was full to bursting with possessions and keepsakes, just tiny little things Ellie did not have the heart to throw out. They had been her mothers. She made her way over and carefully rummaged through the box. There were pictures and jewellery and some of Ellie's baby teeth. Just silly little things that Ellie would probably never look at again. It wasn't until she reached the bottom of the box did she find something interesting.

_A voice recorder._

It was an old thing that looked like something from the eighties. It took cassettes and had just a few basic buttons. Ellie wondered what it was - and why her mother had needed to use such a thing. She clicked open the lid and she noticed that there was already a tape inside. With curiosity already stirring within her she clicked play. Her mother's voice came through the speaker. Ellie's heart broke upon hearing the sound.

"Hello sweetheart, it's your mama. If you're listening to this then I'm dead or you've been raking through my things in which case I'm angry at you. I love you Emilia and I would never leave you if I had no other choice." Ellie hit pause. Her mother had committed suicide - her mother had had a choice. _Unless she didn't commit suicide after all.._. No, Kira could only kill via heart attacks. He couldn't make someone kill themselves, could he?

"I have information pertaining the Kira case. I started investigating after your dad passed away - I wanted to find the man who killed him. I know something that L doesn't know. I need this tape to get to him - everything I know is recorded on the rest of this tape. I don't want you to listen any further - knowing more about this will simply put you in danger and that is the last thing that I want. Get this to L's headquarters Ellie. That's all I need you to do. I love you. _Be strong_."

Ellie's hand was shaking as she paused the tape. Just earlier she had been considering how she wanted to help the investigation in some way and here she was now, standing with evidence in her hand. She couldn't make sense of anything now - her mother had committed suicide. Yet in the tape she had sounded determined and strong. She took a deep breath. Wondering how she would go about getting in contact with L.

Light came instantly to her mind. His father was working on the Kira case - Light hadn't told her much about him but from the way he had spoken his father seemed to be a high-ranking member of the police force. Without a second thought, Ellie withdrew her phone from her pocket and called Light. He picked up immediately. "Hey Light. It's Ellie. I need you to come over. I found something important."

* * *

Light stared hard at the voice recorder and a feeling of dread stirred in his gut. Ryuk chuckled from behind him and Light made a silent note to himself not to buy any apples on his way home. Ellie shifted closer to him, her hands folded over her moderately size chest. She picked up the tape recorder and was about to play it through. Light caught her hand.

"Your mother didn't want you to listen to it Ellie. Don't you want to respect her wishes?" Light asked. That tape most likely contained Naomi Misora's evidence on the Kira case. If Ellie listened to that tape she would find out what her mother had known. She would find out that Raye Penber had met Kira during the bus-jacking and she would find out that Kira could kill using more than just heart attacks. _Light couldn't let that happe_n.

He couldn't even kill Ellie. Someone close to him dying would look far too suspicious - besides there was a tiny little part of him that still held onto humanity. Killing something something so innocent and pure as Ellie would be in effect killing that part of him. No, he would just have to get rid of the tape somehow. "You're right. I shouldn't listen to the rest." Ellie sighed, there were tears welling up in her eyes. "I am just curious - _I'm confused _and I need answers."

"You'll get your answers Ellie. I promise you that. Kira won't get away with it forever." _Yes he will, _Light laughed into himself. He put his arm around Ellie and drew her closer to him. The scent of her perfume overwhelmed his nostrils. She smelled so sweet and perfect - like strawberries mixed with vanilla. "I'll take this tape to my father and he will get it to L. Hopefully it will contain something to help us solve the case. You were smart to call me. You can always trust me you know that? I'm here for you no matter what."

"You are too kind to me...It's late...you should stay for dinner. I'll go run down and ask my gran to make a little extra." Before Light could protest, Ellie fluttered down the stairs. She was so nervous around him - Light wondered if she had a crush on him. He considered it for a few moments moment - having her as a girlfriend would lessen L's suspicions of him. He found the idea pleasant - having her in his arms would be a nice feeling. He stared at the voice recorder again, but his eyes now harsh and cold.

"You going to play it Light? She could be gone for a while..." Ryuk suggested, putting the idea in Light's mind. Kira did not wait for a further prompt by the shinigami. He clicked play and listened to the rest of the tape;

"L. I hope I am talking to you now. You are the only one I know I can trust with this evidence. My fiancé, Raye Penber was involved in a bus-jacking. I have reason to believe that Kira was on that bus with him and was in contact with him before he died. It seems far too much of a coincidence to me - and I know it will be to you as well. The bus jacker ended up dead - not from a heart attack - but from being hit by a car. This gives me reason to believe that Kira can kill in multiple ways not just heart attacks - this opens up a larger pool of potential victims. That's all I have to say. I hope that this helps you solve the case. I hope that this helps avenge my fiancé. Also I would ask that you keep my daughter out of this business - she is too young for such things and if I am dead then her life will be difficult enough."

Light shut off the tape. He definitely had to destroy this tape. If there was doubt before there was none now. He tried to look inconspicuous as Ellie came back up stares. "Grandma always makes too much there will be plenty for you." Ellie smiled meekly. She ran her finger over the cassette player. "Do you want to put it in your bag now before you forget? I feel like if I keep it around I'm just going to end up listening to it."

"Sure. I'll get it straight to my father when I go home." Light lied coolly. He slipped the tape and the voice recorder into his bag. He would get rid of the tape and make up some lie to tell Ellie. It wasn't ideal - but Ellie was gullible enough to believe every word that came from his mouth, She was too naive for her own good.

* * *

"Light what are you burning outside! I can smell it all the way up here!" Sayu shouted from her bedroom window. Light smirked to himself as he tended the fire. The red and orange flames consumed him with warmth as he turned to look up at his rather annoyed looking sister. The tape was held tightly in his grip. "You know I hate fire Light!"

"I'm just burning some school books now that I'm through my entrance exams. Shut your window and you won't smell anything." Light shouted back. Sayu slammed shut her window and Light focused his attention back on the flickering flame. He withdrew the voice recorder and the tape from his pocket - and hesitated a few seconds before dropping it into the fire. It crackled as the plastic melted and the reel turned to ash. Naomi Misora was gone and now her evidence was as well. There was nothing stopping Light now - _he was winnin_g.

"Goodbye Naomi Misora." Light spoke carefully, with a wide smile still on his face. He turned his back to fired - the orange glow illuminating his sinister smirk.


End file.
